Convertible Kitchen Shears

Abstract

A pair of kitchen shears comprises a pair of blade members having respective handle portions at their proximal end regions and respective cutting edges at their distal end regions, and a coupling mechanism for coupling the blade members for pivoting movement with respect to each other about a pivot axis generally perpendicular to the blade members so that the cutting edges can be pivoted towards and away from each other about said axis. The coupling mechanism is manually operable to selectively decouple the blade members from each other. At least one of the blade members has a knife edge along its distal end region so it can function as a paring knife when separated from the other blade member.

1 . Shears for cutting an item comprising:
 a pair of blade members having respective handle portions at their proximal end regions and respective cutting edges at their distal end regions, and   a coupling mechanism for coupling the blade members for pivoting movement with respect to each other about a pivot axis generally perpendicular to the blade members so that the cutting edges can be pivoted towards and away from each other about said axis, the coupling mechanism being manually operable to selectively decouple the blade members from each other, at least one of the blade members having a knife edge along its distal end region so it can function as a knife when separated from the other blade member.   
     
     
         2 . The shears of  claim 1  wherein said at least one blade member is a paring knife when separated from the other blade member. 
     
     
         3 . The shears of  claim 1  wherein said other blade member has serrations on its outer surface adjacent its cutting edge for resisting the slippage of the item being cut from between the two cutting edges owing to the shearing force of the blades. 
     
     
         4 . The shears of  claim 1  wherein the coupling mechanism includes a protrusion extending generally about the pivot axis from one of the blade members, and
 wherein the other of the blade members includes a slot positioned to generally encompass the protrusion when forming part of the shears,   the protrusion and slot being mutually shaped to provide an interlocking relationship that permits the blade members to be pivoted into relative positions that enable one blade member to be detached from the other while remaining captured during the shearing operation.   
     
     
         5 . The shears of  claim 4  wherein the protrusion is generally rectangular in shape and said other blade member has an elongated slot,
 the protrusion and slot being mutually sized and positioned for insertion of the protrusion into the slot when the slot is rotated into overlying alignment with the protrusion to permit assembly and disassembly of the shears.   
     
     
         6 . The shears of  claim 4  wherein the protrusion is generally T-shaped, with a short generally cylindrical shaft extending from said one blade member and a generally rectangular top surface, and
 said other blade member has an elongated slot for capturing the rectangular top surface of the protrusion when the slot encompasses the generally cylindrical shaft thereof so that the blade members remain coupled together for relative pivoting movement as the slot rotates about the shaft.   
     
     
         7 . The shears of  claim 6  wherein the protrusion and shaft are sized and positioned so that the separation of the handle regions beyond their normally their normally open positions results in the aligning of the generally rectangular top surface of the protrusion with the elongated slot, permitting disassembly of the shears. 
     
     
         8 . The shears of  claim 1  wherein the cutting region of said at least one knife blade member has a knife edge comprising a bevel on only one side. 
     
     
         9 . The shears of  claim 8  wherein said one side is the outer side. 
     
     
         10 . The shears of  claim 1  including means for biasing the shears into a normally open position for returning the shears to said normally open position as squeezing force on the handle portions is relaxed. 
     
     
         11 . The shears of  claim 1  wherein the biasing means is affixed to one of the blade members. 
     
     
         12 . The shears of  claim 11  wherein the biasing means is not affixed to the other of the blade members. 
     
     
         13 . The shears of  claim 11  wherein the biasing means is not attached to said at least one blade member having the knife edge. 
     
     
         14 . The shears of  claim 13  wherein the biasing means is a spring.